Courier Fraud, Bogus Police and Bank Official Alert - What you need to know
Individuals have been receiving phone calls from people claiming to be a
police officer or banking official
The suspect will say either:
-
There has been fraudulent activity at the victims’ bank and the staff at
the bank are involved, the victim is then asked to withdraw money to
either keep it safe or assist the police with their investigation
-
A business such as a jewellers or currency exchange is fraudulent and
they require the victims’ assistance to help secure evidence by
purchasing jewellery or exchange a large amount of currency to hand over
to the police
-
The victims’ card has been compromised and used to purchase goods by a
suspect, the victim is requested to withdraw their money to keep it safe
or hand over their bank card to the police
Occasionally the victim will be told to dial a non-emergency extension of
‘161’ to receive confirmation of the individual’s bogus identity, the bogus
official will advise the victim to lie about the reason for the withdrawal
or purchase if challenged by staff, as the staff member is involved in the
fraud
A courier attends the victim’s home address to collect the goods the same
day Often the victim is given a code word for the courier as a way of
authentication.
What you need to do - Your Bank or Police will
Never
:-
-
Phone and ask you for your PIN or full banking password
-
Ask you to withdraw money to hand over to them for safe-keeping
-
Ask you to transfer money out of your account
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Send someone to your home to collect cash, PINs, cards to cheque books
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Fake TalkTalk E-Mails
Action Fraud has received over 100 reports this week about fake emails purporting to be from TalkTalk. The emails state that the recipent's TalkTalk account is in credit and that they are owed a refund. The links in the emails lead to malicious websites.
Don't click on the links or attachments in any suspicious emails, and never respond to messages that ask for your personal or financial details.
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Telephone Fraud
Fraudsters can ‘spoof’ telephone numbers so that people receiving the call
This
can also happen with a call made to your mobile phone – for example
Note
the Telephone Preference Service cannot protect you from these
How to keep safe from this type of fraud
1.
Don’t assume the caller is actually phoning from the number you
2.
Always be suspicious of unsolicited requests for personal or financial
3. If
in doubt, check with the organisation directly by phone or email
4. Do
not confirm anything to a ‘cold caller’ you don’t know and do not
5. Do
not be rushed into action. Question and check before acting.
If you’ve fallen victim to a scam - what next?
6. Stop
further payments – contact your bank or cancel your
7.
Report this has happened - contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040
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£7 Million Lost to Holiday Fraud
Fraudsters stole more than £7 million from unsuspecting holidaymakers and other travellers in 2018, a new report reveals today.
- Over 5,000 people reported to Action Fraud total losses of just over £7 million to holiday and travel-related fraud
- Victims have also reported the significant emotional impact caused by this crime
- Wherever possible, people are advised to pay by credit card
ABTA – The Travel Association, Action Fraud and Get Safe Online are joining forces to warn the public about the dangers posed by holiday fraud and give advice on how to spot and avoid travel related fraud. The report, compiled by Action Fraud, the national fraud and cyber crime reporting centre, details the most commonly targeted areas of travel and the methods used by unscrupulous criminals to defraud the travelling public.
Over 5,000 people reported to Action Fraud that they had lost a total of just over £7 million to holiday and travel related fraud, an increase on last year, when 4,382 victims reported losing £6.7 million. The average amount lost was £1,380 per person but, as in previous years, in addition to the financial cost, victims have also reported the significant emotional impact caused by this crime. The three campaign partners also believe that the actual total figures relating to travel fraud may be even higher, with many victims feeling too embarrassed to report.
Over half, 53%, of the crimes reported were related to the sale of airline tickets. These reports were made consistently throughout the year, however the largest individual loss, of over £425,000, was made in August 2018.
The next most common fraud at 25%, related to the sale of accommodation, with a peak in reported losses in October. This indicates that many victims report their loss after the end of the summer holidays the busiest time of the year for travel and a popular target for fraudsters.
Link to more information on how to avoid becoming a travel fraud victim.
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42% of used hard drives sold on eBay still contain sensitive data.
42% of used hard drives sold through eBay still
contain sensitive data according to new research from a leading
international data security company. Of these, 15% were found to contain
personally identifiable information (PII) even where sellers stated they had
used proper data sanitation methods prior to the sale.
The study, carried out by Blancco Technology Group in conjunction with
partner, Ontrack, analysed 159 drives purchased in the US, UK, Germany and
Finland. The findings highlight a major concern that whilst sellers
recognise the importance of removing data, they are using methods which are
inadequate.
“Selling old hardware via an online marketplace might feel like a good
option, but in reality, it creates a serious risk of exposing dangerous
levels of personal data," said Fredrik Forslund, VP, cloud and data erasure,
Blancco.
"By putting this equipment into the wrong hands, irreversible damage will be
caused – not just to the seller, but their employer, friends and family
members. It is also clear that there is confusion around the right methods
of data erasure, as each seller was under the impression that data had been
permanently removed. It's critical to securely erase any data on drives
before passing them onto another party, using the appropriate methods to
confirm that it's well and truly gone.
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Springtime tax scams target young and vulnerable, warns HMRC
Young adults who may have
less experience of the tax system should be especially vigilant against
springtime refund scams, warns HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
Scammers are increasingly targeting vulnerable or
elderly people and those with less familiarity with the tax system, such as
young adults.
During April and May, fraudsters regularly blitz taxpayers with refund
scams by email or text pretending to be HMRC. Criminals do this to coincide
with legitimate rebates being processed by HMRC.
They will encourage people to provide bank details, in exchange for a
payment worth hundreds of pounds, on a fake government website to harvest
private information and steal money. HMRC will never ask someone to provide
bank details by text or email.
Last Spring alone, HMRC received around 250,000 reports of tax scams —
which is nearly 2,500 a day — and requested that over 6,000 phishing
websites be deactivated.
Useful statistics about Spring scams warning
-
During March, April and May 2018, HMRC received nearly 250,000 reports
of phishing and made over 6,000 requests to have websites shut
down.
-
According to Ofcom Communications Market Report 2018, 95% of
16-24-year-olds owned a smartphone last year and 51% of those
aged over 55+ owned a smartphone in the same period. Smartphones are
often how many members of the public receive text and email scams.
The tax authority is urging anyone who knows someone
that could be vulnerable to scams to be warned and prepared. HMRC’s top
tips:
Recognise the signs - genuine organisations like banks and HMRC will
never contact you out of the blue to ask for your PIN, password or bank
details.
HMRC will never advise you of a refund in an e-mail or SMS message.
-
Stay safe - don’t give out private information, reply to text messages,
download attachments or click on links in emails you weren’t expecting.
-
Take action - forward suspicious emails and details of suspicious calls
claiming to be from HMRC to phishing@hmrc.gov.ukand texts to 60599, if
you have suffered financial loss contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040
or use their online
fraud reporting tool.
-
Check GOV.UKfor
information on how
to avoid and report scams and recognise
genuine HMRC contact.
-
If you think you have received an HMRC related phishing/bogus email or
text message, you can check it against the examples shown in this guide.
HMRC’s action against scams
-
HMRC works relentlessly to close down scams and make people aware of
them. Last year HMRC shut down 5,000 phishing scams before they
could dupe taxpayers.
-
HMRC has cracked down on fraudsters using text and email to steal from
taxpayers in the past two years, stopping half a billion emails
in their tracks and introducing controls to reduce fake HMRC branded
texts by 90%.
-
In the 12 months to February 2019 we received 73,382 reports
of suspicious HMRC phone calls, and asked phone carriers to remove more
than 400 unique numbers associated with scams. HMRC works with a
range of enforcement partners both in the UK and abroad to gather
intelligence of scams and to help the police shut them down.
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TV Licence, Billing, Renewal or Refund Fraud
Since September 2018 there have been large numbers of reports of fake emails
purporting to be from TV Licensing. Scams involve emails claiming that
either a refund is due or there is a problem with billing or with the
account. The links in the emails lead to phishing websites designed to steal
personal and financial information.
They will use headlines such as ‘correct your licensing information’,
‘billing information updates’ and ‘renew now’ to trick people into clicking
on the link within the email.
These emails are sophisticated and convincing. They can catch out anyone -
even the Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk admitted to being out
caught by this scam earlier this year.
How to keep safe from this type of fraud
1. Always be suspicious of unsolicited requests for personal or financial
information in case it is a scam.
2. Never automatically click on links in an unexpected email or text.
3. If in doubt, check with the organisation by phone or email using contact
details from your records – do not use contact details given by the
fraudsters
4. Do not be rushed into action. If in doubt, delete the email. A genuine
organisation will always find a different way to contact you.
If you’ve fallen victim - what next?
5. Stop further payments – contact your bank or cancel your credit card.
(Monitor your statements regularly for any unusual activity.)
6. Report this has happened - contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or online at https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/
More
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Friends against Scams - Online Learning
Click on picture above to learn more here
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Advice given following Bank Scam in New Forest
We
are asking people to be aware of a telephone scam in which victims are
persuaded to disclose their PIN numbers and hand over their banks cards.
On Tuesday 12
March, we received reports of two incidents in the New Forest, in which the
victims were called by someone claiming to be from their bank.
In the first
incident, a 90-year-old man from New Milton was called by someone who
claimed to be from his bank.
A similar method
was used in the second incident. A total of £1,190 was taken from the
victim, an 85-year-old woman from Ringwood.
Both incidents are
being treated as linked.
If you get a call
like this, please hang up and use a different line to report the incident
via 101, or call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.
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Paws for thought - fake pet adverts
Between March 2012 and April 2018, 5066 reports of this fraud were made to Action Fraud.
Victims reported losing £3,129,273 during this time – an average of £40,640 per month.
How is this happening?
Fraudsters are advertising pets and pet accessories on online marketplaces at a lower than expected price in an attempt to attract victims. The fraudsters are then demanding full payment or a deposit for the animal via bank transfer or electronic wire.
To prevent requests to visit the animal, fraudsters will tell victims that it is located in a remote or faraway location, which stops them from travelling to see it.
In some cases, the fraudsters are telling victims that they need to pay further fees for animal travel insurance, documentation or special travel cages. Victims are promised that some or all of these extra fees will be refunded when they receive the animal, however once these funds have been transferred, the fraudster will stop all communication, leaving victims out of pocket and with no pet. A report from Action Fraud and the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) shows that 61% of victims were female and 22% of victims were 20 – 29 years old. It also shows that 31% of people said falling victim to this type of fraud had a significant impact on their health and financial wellbeing.
The report suggests that fraudsters are targeting victims who wish to buy popular breeds. The highest number of reports related to pugs – 224 reports were made between January 2012 and May 2018, with victims losing £76,451. Fraudsters are also offering pet-related products for sale which don’t exist or are not as described. Equine accessories accounted for 92% of monetary losses. Between January 2012 and May 2018, 368 reports were made which concerned a horse box or trailer. The total reported loss was £1,145,369 with an average loss of £3,112 per victim.
Don’t get pugged off:
·
If you’re purchasing goods and services from a
company or person you don’t know and trust, carry out some research first,
or ask friends and family for advice before completing a purchase. Remember,
if an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is.
·
Avoid paying for
good and services by bank transfer as that offers you little protection if
you become a victim of fraud. Instead, use a credit card or payment services
such as PayPal.
·
Ask for photographs
or videos of the animal; a responsible seller will understand why the buyer
wants photographs and more information before making a purchase.
·
Use the online
marketplace’s ‘report’ function if you come across suspicious adverts or
sellers.
·
Sellers offering to
meet you ‘halfway’ seems generous but you should only buy the puppy directly
from the place where he/she was born and raised.
·
When buying a
puppy, you must insist on seeing the puppy interacting with its mother and
littermates in the location where they were bred and reared - Make sure you
visit the puppy more than once too.
·
If you think you
have fallen victim to this type of fraud, report it to Action
Fraud online or by calling 0300 123 2040.
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Instasham - Fraudulent Investments being promoted on Social Media
How is this happening?
Between October 2018 and February 2019, 356 reports of this fraud were made to Action Fraud.
The total loss was a shocking £3,168,464 – an average of £8,900 per person.
Action Fraud has seen an increased number of investment schemes being advertised on Instagram over recent months, with young people aged between 20 and 30 the most likely to fall victim.
Fraudsters are advertising ‘get rich quick’ investment schemes on the app, which promise a high return within 24 hours. A £600 investment is initially requested which fraudsters claim will be multiplied within 24 hours.
Victims are then making payments via bank transfer to the fraudster’s bank account. Fraudsters are then sending screenshots of thousands in profit crediting their accounts, which they claim can be released for a fee. Victims have requested to withdraw their funds while they’re still in profit, and at this stage the fraudsters are stopping contact with the victim and closing the Instagram account.
Inspector Paul Carroll, of Action Fraud, said:
“Opportunistic fraudsters are taking advantage of unsuspecting victims who are going about their day-to-day lives on social media.
“It’s vital that you follow the simple steps below to make sure you don’t fall victim to this fraud.
“If you think you have been a victim, contact Action Fraud.”
Stay safe when scrolling:
Never respond to any requests to send money, or have money transferred into your account by someone you don’t know and trust. These types of requests should always raise a red flag. If something feels wrong then it is usually right to question it.
Don’t immediately agree to any offer that involves an advance payment or having to sign a contract on the spot. Always speak with a friend or family member first.
Always check the credentials of any financial company on the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) website: – they should be on the register. Contact the preferred company directly and reject any offers made through unsolicited communications.
Every report maters – if you have been a victim of fraud or cybercrime, report it to Action Fraud online or by calling 0300 123 2040.
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